08-26-2026, 08:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-26-2026, 08:55 PM by RbxFunRocks.)
Gonna add another update. I've last posted here years ago and have since completed all the course requirements. I did take a break (multiple times, actually), but eventually returned to finish. I felt it would be good to document the full extent of what the courses involve.
Relevant Updates
UW Milwaukee has been continuously updating courses and I eventually stopped running into as many dead links.
There were still a few instances of dead links, but those were not much of a hindrance. One assignment was to write a SBAR proposal, which I completed by recommending a Google Drive link fix. Not only did I receive full points, but that's one more link that has hopefully been fixed by now.
Assignments
As I said before, the coursework is different from other Competency-Based programs. Each competency within a course has a Materials page filled with relevant links and lessons. After you read through them, you must complete an assignment related to what you've learned.
Papers
Most assignments are 1,000- to 1,500-word papers where you must answer questions or a prompt using academic sources. I've used the course materials as some of my sources, but I've mainly had to use Google Scholar to find better ones. Some essay prompts require you to discuss your "health profession." Although I don't work in healthcare, I've been able to successfully get through these by choosing a random profession and answering questions through its lens, being open about not actually working in healthcare. I mostly stuck to Dentistry as my main profession.
Quizzes
A handful of assignments are multiple-choice quizzes, but these are few and far between. In one of my courses, the multiple-choice quizzes were actually only "Part 1" of their respective competencies.
Others
I've also had a few courses where I had to submit PowerPoints and other visual materials (my go-to option was Canva infographics). In one course, I submitted a PowerPoint to teach an audience how to build and maintain a positive professional image online. In another, I broke down important health laws.
I've had to read two books throughout the degree program. Fortunately, I was able to break them into chapters and listen to them slowly through Audible.
A few notable assignments: Watching Finding Nemo and writing a paper about it, Attending a cultural event and reflecting on it, Curating a resume and cover letter to a real job posting
(Due to limits on the length of forum posts, I will post my course breakdown in a separate reply)
Microcredential
The school has an Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare Microcredential, which you automatically receive after completing some of the degree's required courses: (1) Foundations of Interprofessional Education and Practice, (2) Professional Development in Health Professions, and (3) either Teamwork in the Health Professions or Inclusive and Disability Programs in the Community.
Thoughts
UWM's BS Biomedical Sciences - Health Sciences program is more involved and self-driven compared to other competency-based degrees. That's not an insult towards other CBE programs, just an important detail to take into account before deciding to pursue a UW Flexible Option degree. The way the courses are structured make them less user-friendly experiences than at UMPI and ETAMU on top of the required papers. It's easy to burn out from these courses.
If you can handle the work, it's worth it for a degree at an R1 research institution.
Courses
Client Diversity in the Health Sciences
This course looks and sounds innocuous at first, but is one of the most involved courses in the degree program.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: Writing a plan for a presentation with 60-minutes worth of content
Competency 2: Worksheet with 4 case studies
Competency 3: A PowerPoint, an expansion of the same PowerPoint (in part 2), and reading either (1) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or (2) The Spirit Catches You
Competency 4: Attend a cultural event and write a 1-2 page reflection
Honestly, the most difficult part of Competency 3 was reflecting on the book (I read Henrietta Lacks). The book reflection slide must be between 200 and 300 words long, which wasn't as much space to convey as many of my thoughts as I wanted to.
Disability: Society and the Person
This is probably the most memorable course that I took. I found competency 4 to be pretty interesting and I enjoyed listening to the required book on a long drive. Perhaps one reason the book resonated with me so much is because much of the early story takes place near where I live, including at a university I've attended + I've been to multiple times during high school (Florida Atlantic University).
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: Film Critique of Finding Nemo
Competency 2: Critiquing the language/terms used in an article
Competency 3: 1,500-2,000 word book reflection on a memoir by Paralympic athlete Mark Zupan
Competency 4: 1,500-2,000 word paper
Foundations of Interprofessional Education and Practice
This was the last course I took.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 1,500-word paper
Competency 2: A 1,500-word paper
Competency 3: (1) A 1,000-word paper and (2) a visual learning tool (I made an infographic on Canva)
Competency 4: A 1,950-word paper. Some paragraphs are reflections of Emotional Intelligence questionnaires.
Competency 5: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) 200-300 word reflection
Competency 6: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) 1,000-word paper
Healthcare Delivery in the United States
This was one of the first courses I took, so it's possible that it has been updated since.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 1-2 page paper and a Worksheet for defining key terms
Competency 2: A 1-2 page paper and a Worksheet for describing 5 high-growth health professions
Competency 3: A 1-2 page paper
Competency 4: A PowerPoint
Competency 5: A spreadsheet and a 1-page summary sheet
Notably, this is one of the courses I took with the toughest grading.
Human Pathophysiology I
This was the first course I completed. I also found it to be one of the most straightforward.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 50-question quiz
Competency 2: A 50-question quiz
Competency 3: A 50-question quiz
Competency 4: 4 quizzes on individual case studies, each with short-answer questions
Inclusive and Disability Programs in the Community
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A visual presentation
Competency 2: A 1,000-1,500 word paper
Competency 3: (1) A 1,000-1,500 word paper and (2) an additional 1,500-2,000 word paper
Competency 4: A 1,500-2,000 word paper
Introduction to Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches
This is by far the most difficult course in the entire degree program. The professor is a tough grader and there's a solid chance that you WILL fail your first attempt at any assignment submission (anything below an 80% is a failed grade). I looked at the box and whisker charts of my completed assignments and Q1s are consistently barely passing (and that's taking into account resubmissions). I ended the course with an A, but I would consistently earn Cs on my first assignment attempts regardless of how careful I was. Fortunately, the professor's criticisms are easy to follow and improve from.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 50-question quiz
Competency 2: Write a 1-2 page letter to a fictional legislator against or in favor of stricter dietary supplement regulations.
Competency 3: (1) A 500-page paper and (2) a PowerPoint comparing different modalities of Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH)
Competency 4: (1) A worksheet and (2) a 1-2 page paper requiring 5-8 scholarly sources
Competency 5: A worksheet
Honestly, I enjoyed this class despite the resubmissions. It felt less like an internet scavenger hunt and more like coursework that I had to put thought into. I know not everyone would feel the same, so I wanted to provide caution about this course.
If you ever take this, I would NOT wait until the last week to submit work unless you already expect to receive a PR grade.
Introduction to Diagnostic Medicine
This was one course that intimidated me at first due to all of the quizzes in the beginning and being afraid of missing key details within the case studies, but felt easier as I continued on.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 50-question exam and 5 shorter multiple-choice quizzes on case studies
Competency 2: An 18-question quiz
Competency 3: 500-word paper
Competency 4: 2 parts. (1) One 1,000-1,250 word paper and (2) another paper with 200-word answers
Law and Ethics for Healthcare Professionals
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: Two 10-question quizzes
Competency 2: (1) One 10-question quiz and (2) a 1,000-word paper
Competency 3: A 1,000-1,500 word paper
Competency 4: Create (1) a lesson and (2) a supplemental quiz. I chose to make a PowerPoint.
Competency 5: Summarize 2 legal cases.
Leading Healthcare Professionals
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: 2 Parts. (1) Describing functions/aspects/skills of healthcare leadership and (2) a 2-3 page paper
Competency 2: 1-2 page reflection paper
Competency 3: 1,000-word analysis
Competency 4: Answer questions related to a case study
Competency 5: (1) 1-page paper answering questions and (2) 1-2 page paper
Competency 6: Short presentation (I chose to make a Canva infographic)
Professional Development in the Health Sciences
Despite looking like a lot of work and requiring quite a few papers, this is one of the easiest courses content-wise.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) a 1,000-word paper
Competency 2: (1) A 10-question quiz, (2) a resume, (3) a cover letter, (4) and a reflection about a job listing
Competency 3: (1) A 10-question quiz, (2) a short self-assessment, and (3) create an e-professionalism plan for others to follow (I made mine a PowerPoint)
Competency 4: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) a four-part paper
Competency 5: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) a 500-word paper
Competency 6: A five-part paper
Competency 7: A <1,000-word paper
Final Reflection: A ~500-word reflection
Teamwork in the Health Professions
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 5-page paper, including the reference page
Competency 2: (1) Create 5 summary pages and (2) a 500-word reflection
Competency 3: 500-word paper with an annotated bibliography
Competency 4: (1) A paper with 250-500 words plus an evaluation of a case study and (2) a SBAR proposal
I personally found part 2 of competency 4 to be the easiest assignment throughout my entire degree program.
Relevant Updates
UW Milwaukee has been continuously updating courses and I eventually stopped running into as many dead links.
There were still a few instances of dead links, but those were not much of a hindrance. One assignment was to write a SBAR proposal, which I completed by recommending a Google Drive link fix. Not only did I receive full points, but that's one more link that has hopefully been fixed by now.
Assignments
As I said before, the coursework is different from other Competency-Based programs. Each competency within a course has a Materials page filled with relevant links and lessons. After you read through them, you must complete an assignment related to what you've learned.
Papers
Most assignments are 1,000- to 1,500-word papers where you must answer questions or a prompt using academic sources. I've used the course materials as some of my sources, but I've mainly had to use Google Scholar to find better ones. Some essay prompts require you to discuss your "health profession." Although I don't work in healthcare, I've been able to successfully get through these by choosing a random profession and answering questions through its lens, being open about not actually working in healthcare. I mostly stuck to Dentistry as my main profession.
Quizzes
A handful of assignments are multiple-choice quizzes, but these are few and far between. In one of my courses, the multiple-choice quizzes were actually only "Part 1" of their respective competencies.
Others
I've also had a few courses where I had to submit PowerPoints and other visual materials (my go-to option was Canva infographics). In one course, I submitted a PowerPoint to teach an audience how to build and maintain a positive professional image online. In another, I broke down important health laws.
I've had to read two books throughout the degree program. Fortunately, I was able to break them into chapters and listen to them slowly through Audible.
A few notable assignments: Watching Finding Nemo and writing a paper about it, Attending a cultural event and reflecting on it, Curating a resume and cover letter to a real job posting
(Due to limits on the length of forum posts, I will post my course breakdown in a separate reply)
Microcredential
The school has an Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare Microcredential, which you automatically receive after completing some of the degree's required courses: (1) Foundations of Interprofessional Education and Practice, (2) Professional Development in Health Professions, and (3) either Teamwork in the Health Professions or Inclusive and Disability Programs in the Community.
Thoughts
UWM's BS Biomedical Sciences - Health Sciences program is more involved and self-driven compared to other competency-based degrees. That's not an insult towards other CBE programs, just an important detail to take into account before deciding to pursue a UW Flexible Option degree. The way the courses are structured make them less user-friendly experiences than at UMPI and ETAMU on top of the required papers. It's easy to burn out from these courses.
If you can handle the work, it's worth it for a degree at an R1 research institution.
Courses
Client Diversity in the Health Sciences
This course looks and sounds innocuous at first, but is one of the most involved courses in the degree program.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: Writing a plan for a presentation with 60-minutes worth of content
Competency 2: Worksheet with 4 case studies
Competency 3: A PowerPoint, an expansion of the same PowerPoint (in part 2), and reading either (1) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or (2) The Spirit Catches You
Competency 4: Attend a cultural event and write a 1-2 page reflection
Honestly, the most difficult part of Competency 3 was reflecting on the book (I read Henrietta Lacks). The book reflection slide must be between 200 and 300 words long, which wasn't as much space to convey as many of my thoughts as I wanted to.
Disability: Society and the Person
This is probably the most memorable course that I took. I found competency 4 to be pretty interesting and I enjoyed listening to the required book on a long drive. Perhaps one reason the book resonated with me so much is because much of the early story takes place near where I live, including at a university I've attended + I've been to multiple times during high school (Florida Atlantic University).
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: Film Critique of Finding Nemo
Competency 2: Critiquing the language/terms used in an article
Competency 3: 1,500-2,000 word book reflection on a memoir by Paralympic athlete Mark Zupan
Competency 4: 1,500-2,000 word paper
Foundations of Interprofessional Education and Practice
This was the last course I took.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 1,500-word paper
Competency 2: A 1,500-word paper
Competency 3: (1) A 1,000-word paper and (2) a visual learning tool (I made an infographic on Canva)
Competency 4: A 1,950-word paper. Some paragraphs are reflections of Emotional Intelligence questionnaires.
Competency 5: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) 200-300 word reflection
Competency 6: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) 1,000-word paper
Healthcare Delivery in the United States
This was one of the first courses I took, so it's possible that it has been updated since.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 1-2 page paper and a Worksheet for defining key terms
Competency 2: A 1-2 page paper and a Worksheet for describing 5 high-growth health professions
Competency 3: A 1-2 page paper
Competency 4: A PowerPoint
Competency 5: A spreadsheet and a 1-page summary sheet
Notably, this is one of the courses I took with the toughest grading.
Human Pathophysiology I
This was the first course I completed. I also found it to be one of the most straightforward.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 50-question quiz
Competency 2: A 50-question quiz
Competency 3: A 50-question quiz
Competency 4: 4 quizzes on individual case studies, each with short-answer questions
Inclusive and Disability Programs in the Community
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A visual presentation
Competency 2: A 1,000-1,500 word paper
Competency 3: (1) A 1,000-1,500 word paper and (2) an additional 1,500-2,000 word paper
Competency 4: A 1,500-2,000 word paper
Introduction to Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches
This is by far the most difficult course in the entire degree program. The professor is a tough grader and there's a solid chance that you WILL fail your first attempt at any assignment submission (anything below an 80% is a failed grade). I looked at the box and whisker charts of my completed assignments and Q1s are consistently barely passing (and that's taking into account resubmissions). I ended the course with an A, but I would consistently earn Cs on my first assignment attempts regardless of how careful I was. Fortunately, the professor's criticisms are easy to follow and improve from.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 50-question quiz
Competency 2: Write a 1-2 page letter to a fictional legislator against or in favor of stricter dietary supplement regulations.
Competency 3: (1) A 500-page paper and (2) a PowerPoint comparing different modalities of Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH)
Competency 4: (1) A worksheet and (2) a 1-2 page paper requiring 5-8 scholarly sources
Competency 5: A worksheet
Honestly, I enjoyed this class despite the resubmissions. It felt less like an internet scavenger hunt and more like coursework that I had to put thought into. I know not everyone would feel the same, so I wanted to provide caution about this course.
If you ever take this, I would NOT wait until the last week to submit work unless you already expect to receive a PR grade.
Introduction to Diagnostic Medicine
This was one course that intimidated me at first due to all of the quizzes in the beginning and being afraid of missing key details within the case studies, but felt easier as I continued on.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 50-question exam and 5 shorter multiple-choice quizzes on case studies
Competency 2: An 18-question quiz
Competency 3: 500-word paper
Competency 4: 2 parts. (1) One 1,000-1,250 word paper and (2) another paper with 200-word answers
Law and Ethics for Healthcare Professionals
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: Two 10-question quizzes
Competency 2: (1) One 10-question quiz and (2) a 1,000-word paper
Competency 3: A 1,000-1,500 word paper
Competency 4: Create (1) a lesson and (2) a supplemental quiz. I chose to make a PowerPoint.
Competency 5: Summarize 2 legal cases.
Leading Healthcare Professionals
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: 2 Parts. (1) Describing functions/aspects/skills of healthcare leadership and (2) a 2-3 page paper
Competency 2: 1-2 page reflection paper
Competency 3: 1,000-word analysis
Competency 4: Answer questions related to a case study
Competency 5: (1) 1-page paper answering questions and (2) 1-2 page paper
Competency 6: Short presentation (I chose to make a Canva infographic)
Professional Development in the Health Sciences
Despite looking like a lot of work and requiring quite a few papers, this is one of the easiest courses content-wise.
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) a 1,000-word paper
Competency 2: (1) A 10-question quiz, (2) a resume, (3) a cover letter, (4) and a reflection about a job listing
Competency 3: (1) A 10-question quiz, (2) a short self-assessment, and (3) create an e-professionalism plan for others to follow (I made mine a PowerPoint)
Competency 4: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) a four-part paper
Competency 5: (1) A 10-question quiz and (2) a 500-word paper
Competency 6: A five-part paper
Competency 7: A <1,000-word paper
Final Reflection: A ~500-word reflection
Teamwork in the Health Professions
The course has the following assignments:
Competency 1: A 5-page paper, including the reference page
Competency 2: (1) Create 5 summary pages and (2) a 500-word reflection
Competency 3: 500-word paper with an annotated bibliography
Competency 4: (1) A paper with 250-500 words plus an evaluation of a case study and (2) a SBAR proposal
I personally found part 2 of competency 4 to be the easiest assignment throughout my entire degree program.
University of Wyoming
JD Candidate - 3L (Class of 2027)
MA Environment & Natural Resources (Class of 2027)
Grad Collaborative Practice Certificate (2027)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
BS Biomedical Sciences - Health Sciences (2026)
Microcredential: Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare (2026)
UMPI
BA History & Political Science (2022)
Florida State University
BS Economics (2022)
BS International Affairs - Political Science (2022)
Minor Mathematics (2022)
JD Candidate - 3L (Class of 2027)
MA Environment & Natural Resources (Class of 2027)
Grad Collaborative Practice Certificate (2027)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
BS Biomedical Sciences - Health Sciences (2026)
Microcredential: Interprofessional Leadership in Healthcare (2026)
UMPI
BA History & Political Science (2022)
Florida State University
BS Economics (2022)
BS International Affairs - Political Science (2022)
Minor Mathematics (2022)
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